Spake Named NJCAA All-American
Colorado Springs, CO - Surry first basebam Johnny Spake has been named to the 2007 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division I All-American team. Spake, the Region X Runner-up Player of the Year, was selected to the NJCAA second-team becoming the eighth player in school history to earn All-American distinction. Surry has also had four NJCAA Academic All-Americans.

"Johnny had an outstanding season, and this is a great honor to finish his career at Surry by being named to the NJCAA All-American team," stated coach Mark Tucker. "Johnny was a vital part of our program for two years, and we could not be more proud of his accomplishments. He is an exceptional baseball player, outstanding student with a 3.5 grade point average, and a wonderful individual."

Spake was selected to the All-Eastern District team and was also named All-Region X First Team.

The sophomore from Catawba, NC, led the Surry offense with a .397 average along with 13 home runs, 46 runs scored, and 60 RBI's. Spake also added 17 doubles, posted a .718 slugging percentage, and tallied a .520 on-base percentage.

In addition to his superb season at the plate, Spake also had a stellar defensive season. The Knights first basebam committed only three errors during the 2007 seson and totaled a .986 fielding percentage, the best in Region X.

For his fielding accomplishments, Spake earned the inaugural Rawlings Region X Defensive Player of the Year award.

"Most of the time, you see kids named to the All-American team based on great offensive season, which Johnny had, but he also had a great year defensively for us," added Tucker.

Spake let the Knights to an 80-38 record during his two seasons. Surry went 41-18 in 2006, while finishing 39-20 in 2007. Spake becomes the second consecutive Surry player to be named to the NJCAA All-American team following outfielder Ryan Petty's selection last year.